Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Dictator... Really?!


Like an excited schoolgirl, I rushed to my computer to watch the trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's upcoming comedy, The Dictator.

I've been a huge fan of his since Ali G, but I've admittedly been skeptical of both Borat and Bruno before they came out. When they announced Borat, I was actually disappointed. It was not my favorite character on Ali G, and I was hoping for an Ali G or Bruno movie--I thought they were stronger characters. Of course, when I saw it, I thought it was a masterpiece. Then when they announced Bruno, I was a little disappointed again. I thought SBC was going to just follow the same formula, I thought it was a bit of a cop-out. But then Bruno blew me (ahem) away! I also really enjoyed SBC's supporting performances in Talladega Nights and Sweeney Todd.

So when I heard he was making a new movie called The Dictator, for the first time I was thrilled. Maybe this was going to be another schmuck-the-real-people flick, but now he's a huge leader of a nonsense-named country, or something like that. I was going to forgive the potential that it would again follow the same formula, since it worked so well last time. He's gotta outdo himself with this one, right?

Well, when I fired up the trailer on YouTube, I was pretty excited until I saw all the famous people supporting in his cast--Ben Kingsley, John C. Reilly, Megan Fox. And his jokes were the same pointedly offensive jabs at modern culture, but the only thing that was missing was the look of genuine horror/confusion/anger on the real non-actors he played against in the past.

I'll have to go back and check the other movies, but I suspect if the Borat or Bruno gags were taken into a pure narrative filmmaking scenario, they wouldn't be very funny. The "straight man", in the comic sense, in the other two films was absolutely integral. And while both movies had very funny narrative elements sprinkled in, and some of the candid moments were probably a little less candid than they let on, the places where I laughed and cringed the most were when people genuinely reacted--not acted reacted. In fact, the narrative sections of those movie just supported the anticipation of the real-people scenes.

I'll give it a chance--I've been wrong about SBC before, maybe I will be surprised again. But the trailer doesn't seem to do a potentially great movie justice. It looks like Adam Sandler in a schlocky remake of Coming to America. Am I alone here?

And, I mean, come on... Am I crazy for thinking this looks like a funnier movie:

Monday, December 5, 2011

Thanks for the 'tude, Doctor!

Had to take the boy in for his scheduled vaccines. Robin and I have done a lot of research and discussion about putting together a vaccination schedule. Being itinerant for the first year of his life, then being on and off health insurance, we've unfortunately had to bounce from pediatrician to pediatrician.

Today, we saw a new doctor for the first time to get his fourth DTAP and his Chicken Pox vaccines. I brought in the spreadsheet that we made up for his schedule and showed it to her. I also showed her some of the past height, weight, and head size data I had in my iPhone. She seemed put off by it all.

First, she said she couldn't find all of his records paperwork, but she almost brushed off my iPhone with disdain. Sorry, lady, technology trumps your absent tree-killing papers! And then she had the gall to tell me, "I don't believe in this schedule," referring to our spreadsheet. The boy is almost two, he's been getting shots all along the way, he's healthy as a horse--now is not the time to judge our process. I didn't need her opinion about our method, I needed her recommendations, and we'll make the final decisions about our child's future, thanks.

And she also could have spared us the line about how she's seen children die of mumps, chicken pox, and HepB. I'm not a small-time bumpkin that just stepped off a boat. Of course I didn't go to medical school for X amount of years, but I do live in the 21st century, where a much better educated decision can be made than just blindly going along with whatever snotty person with a PHD has to say.

The little guy cried a bit at the shots but then recovered like a champ. I think I'll recover from the doctor visit by taking my child's healthcare elsewhere.

End of rant.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Apple announces Final Cut Pro X | Video | Creative Notes | Macworld

Good lord AND it's only $300??????

Apple announces Final Cut Pro X

On Tuesday, Apple previewed Final Cut Pro X, the newest version of the company's professional non-linear video editing software. The announcement came at the Final Cut Pro User Group Network Supermeet, being held in Las Vegas during the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters Show.


In addition to a complete UI overhaul, Final Cut Pro X boasts a newly designed floating point linear color system, up-to-4K-resolution-independent playback, a magnetic timeline for keeping audio and video in sync, Compound Clips for easy video nesting, non-destructive color balancing, automatic audio cleanup, and Smart Collections for organizing clips.Apple says Final Cut Pro X has been rewritten from the ground up, with support for 64-bit, a user-interface redesign, and a whole host of new features. The software takes advantage of core Mac OS X features like Cocoa, Core Animation, Open CL, and Grand Central Dispatch to speed up and fine-tune performance.

The new software has additionally borrowed a trick or two from Apple's consumer-level video editing software, iMovie: It now supports full background rendering—“the render dialogue is gone!” said Apple video architect Peter Steinauer—and an inline precision editor. It also sports the same automatic face detection (single or group) as iMovie or and the ability to identify shots (medium, wide, or close-up).

Steinaeur spoke briefly about the new features before Apple’s chief architect for video applications, Randy Ubillos, came on-stage for a full walkthrough of the software.

Final Cut Pro X will be available this June from the Mac App Store for $299.

[via @FCPsupermeet on Twitter]


iPad 2 and iPhone 4 3D demonstration, no glasses required [video]

Pretty eerie and cool!


 

via TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog by Chris Oldroyd on 4/12/11


The EHCI Research Group has produced a demonstration video of 3D without glasses on an iPad 2 and iPhone 4 that will make your jaw drop to the floor! The possibility of glasses–free 3D hitting iOS devices has just become a reality.
Head-Coupled Perspective (HCP) on mobile devices allows to create a glasses-free monocular 3D display. It is based on a efficient head-tracker that uses the front-facing camera of the device. We use an off-axis projection in order to adapt the perspective of the 3D scene according to the head's position of the user. Such spatially-aware mobile display enables to improve the possibilities of interaction.
The videos are after the break, you have to see them to believe how good they are. When you have, let us know what you think in the comments!
[EHCI via macstories]



iPad 2 and iPhone 4 3D demonstration, no glasses required [video] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

A 12-Step Guide to Fostering Your Creativity

via Mashable! by Kelli Shaver on 4/12/11


The Web Designer Series is supported by Wix.com, a free Flash online builder that makes website creation a breeze. Click here to create your own website now.
One skill that every designer must learn — and quickly — is how to be creative on-demand. While there will always be specifications that guide a project as well as tried and true methods of solving common visual problems, one must still be able to get focused, get creative and produce work that doesn't end up looking formulaic or forced.
Unfortunately, though, not every project will be tantalizing and fun, and there will be days when you simply don't want to go to work, no matter how much you love your job. How do you keep the creative spark going when you're not feeling particularly inspired? We have 12 simple tips you can use to foster a more creative mindset.
While most of these tips are for the freelance designer who works independently, anyone in a creative industry should be able to relate and gain insight from them.

1. Set a Schedule




Having a fixed schedule may sound counter-productive to creativity, but in fact, it has several benefits. Knowing what you're going to do and when you're going to do it can free your mind to focus on the task at hand without worrying about all of the little things that can distract you. Setting aside two hours on your Monday mornings to deal with business paperwork, for instance, means you won't be distracted from Wednesday's project by rushing out to pay the office electric bill. Fixed office hours means that — most of the time — you won't have to take work home with you, which will lower your overall stress level.

2. Have a Dedicated Workspace — Most of the Time


Similar to setting a schedule, having a dedicated workspace frees you from distraction and gives you a place where you can surround yourself with the items that inspire you and make you feel most comfortable. It also helps to separate work life from personal life, a mix that can leave some people overwhelmed. Establishing a good work-life balance is important to maintaining a healthy attitude about your job. That said, don't be afraid to mix it up now and then, though. Working from the back deck on a nice day can be a refreshing break in the routine, particularly when your creative juices have stalled.

3. Talk About What You're Doing


This is especially important for freelance designers working on their own — share your work with others and talk about what each of you is working on. Even if the projects aren't related, having someone to share ideas and discuss hurdles with is vital to keeping an open mind and developing creative solutions. Sometimes a change of perspective makes a world of difference.

4. Become an Observer




Study the world and the people in it, wherever you go. Whether sitting at the coffee shop or attending a local event, don't pass up opportunities to broaden your horizons and observe the world around you. The goal of design is to send a message or solve a problem. It's easier to communicate that message when you know your audience, and there's no better way to understand it than to engage and observe it in action. Learning not only how people respond to one another, but also how they interpret and interact with objects in their everyday lives can go a long way toward inspiring good visual communication.

5. Explore Other Creative Interests


Working every day on the same types of projects can become a bit of a drain. It's easy to get stuck in a creative rut and fall into patterns that you may not even realize exist. Exploring other creative interests, like photography, music or writing, can give you an outlet that's different enough to keep your mind stimulated, but still keep you thinking about design from a different perspective.

6. Collect Inspiration




Start collecting things you feel are well-designed, either by putting the actual product (such as a magazine ad or a mailer) into a binder, or saving digital photos and screenshots. Ideally, do both. A digital collection is more efficient and can be much larger, but a small physical collection of nicely designed things can be great to flip through for inspiration. Try and go a step beyond just saving things in a pile, however. Whenever you add an item to your collection, take a few minutes to include a note about what it was you liked about the piece and why you felt it worked. In this way, you're not just saving pretty pictures to emulate, but forcing yourself to examine the piece and study why it's good, drawing lessons from it that you can then apply to your own work.

7. Get Involved in a Good Cause


If you have the time to spare, consider putting your skills to use for a cause you believe strongly in. Not only will you be helping out an organization you support, but regardless of what you may be doing at work, you'll have a creative outlet that you can enjoy and feel good about. Not only that, but you'll be working with people who likely will very much appreciate your efforts. That's good karma all the way around, and when you feel good about your work, you'll produce higher quality results across all of your projects.

8. Get a Good Night's Sleep




Sleep deprivation can be as hard on the body as drinking. It's difficult to focus when you're tired, and you're not going to have any major creative insights if you're simply going through the motions between cups of coffee. Of course, you may have to pull the occasional all-nighter to meet a deadline, but try to get good sleep on a regular basis. Poor sleep habits over long periods of time can also contribute to depression and negatively affect your physical health, which are definite creativity killers. When your body is not at its best, neither is your mind.

9. Learn Something New Every Day


Never stop learning — the world is a big, complicated place and there's always something new and exciting right around the corner. Maybe you want to pick up a new language (spoken or programming — take your pick), master a new skill or just consume a few interesting trivia tidbits. Simply put, the more things you know, the more reference material you'll have to draw upon whenever you're trying to solve a task. The more research you do, the better you'll understand the process of discovery. Natural curiosity and creativity go hand-in-hand.

10. Take Breaks


If you're in the zone and find yourself working for hours on end, go ahead and embrace it. When that feeling hits, you can often produce some of your best work. More often, though, a couple of regular, scheduled breaks throughout your work day can serve as a great way to revitalize and re-energize. Losing yourself in your work is great, but getting lost in a project you're struggling with can make for some real creative bottlenecks. By forcing yourself to stop and step away from the desk, you're almost guaranteed to see the problem in a new light upon your return.

11. Use a Mood Board




Get back to the basics of design: space, balance, texture, repetition, line, color. We often get so used to incorporating all of these elements together, that we don't give a lot of thought to them individually. Sometimes, though, it helps to think about the individual design elements first and then work on the whole. Mood boards are a great way to work on establishing an overall feel for a project without being burdened by specifics.

12. Don't Feel Guilty


Sometimes, no matter how hard you try or what you do, things just don't work out. If you have more than one or two days like this in a month, then you might want to look into why that's the case, but everyone has an off day now and then. The important part is not to let it get you down. Find other productive ways to occupy your time, learn a new skill, catch up on paperwork or return phone calls and emails. Stop your work on a positive note and then take a break, relax, and try again tomorrow.

Series Supported by Wix.com



The Web Designer Series is supported by Wix.com, which brings amazing technology home to everyday people. Discover the amazing simplicity of its online Flash builder and enjoy creating beautiful websites with powerful drag and drop interface.


Cisco to shutter Flip camera business

Wow. This seemed to have such promise only a few years ago. Though I rarely used mine soon after I bought it...

starMacworld
April 12, 2011 10:32 AM
by Jim Duffy

Cisco to shutter Flip camera business

Cisco to shutter Flip camera business Cisco reportedly plans to shutter its Flip videocam business in a restructuring of its consumer operations following a disappointing string of quarters.

Wonderfully Creepy Sculptures Carved From Bananas

They're all still oddly sexual...

starLaughing Squid
April 12, 2011 3:00 PM
by EDW Lynch

Wonderfully Creepy Sculptures Carved From Bananas

Banana sculpture by y_yamaden
Banana sculpture by y_yamaden
Banana sculpture by y_yamaden
Banana sculpture by y_yamaden
Maybe it's their gooeyness or their unsettling curvature, but these sculptures carved from ripe bananas by Japanese artist y_yamaden are wonderfully creepy.
via Geekologie
photos by y_yamaden


Art Food Japan

Crime Scene Fleece Throw

WANT!!

starNeatorama
April 12, 2011 3:25 PM
by Tiffany

Crime Scene Fleece Throw

Spring is here! Are you looking for the perfect picnic blanket? You need the Crime Scene Fleece Throw from the NeatoShop. It's to die for!
Be sure to check out all the fiendishly funny Home & Garden items available at the NeatoShop!
NeatoShop Features crime fleece scene throw

Monday, April 11, 2011

Gary Oldman Attends “O” by Cirque du Soleil

More info and group pic at http://jslo.co/fUcdQ3

Chicks with Steve Buscemi Eyes

Now this is a blog I could get off on. So to speak...

starNeatorama
April 11, 2011 11:53 AM
by Stacy

Chicks with Steve Buscemi Eyes

Ever wonder what some of Hollywood's hottest starlets would look like if they had Steve Buscemi's eyes? No? Well, thanks to the amazing Photoshop work of Chicks with Steve Buscemeyes, now you won't be able to stop wondering. Is it just me, or does Taylor Swift with Steve Buscemeyes look a lot like Heather Graham?

Link via AVClub

Design Everything Else Buscemeyes celebrities Photoshop Steve Buscemi